New Mexico Football: Coach Nowinsky’s defense is turning heads and Power Four programs may be watching
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“Nowinsky, I think, is the best defensive coordinator in the group of five ... head coaches are probably looking at him and want to hire him away because that was a great performance.”
It looks like Spence Nowinsky is doing it again.
New Mexico’s defense underwent a complete transformation when head coach Jason Eck brought Nowinsky, the former Memphis defensive coordinator, to Albuquerque ahead of the 2025 season.
Making a complete roster overhaul after the 2024 season, Nowinsky put together a memorable 2025 campaign and established the Lobos as the most improved run defense in the country and the second most improved scoring defense and total defense in the FBS.
“He’s an elite defensive coordinator,” Eck said of Nowinsky.
Fast-forward 12 quarters of 2026 football, and Nowinsky appears to have leveled up the unit once again. Last weekend’s hard-fought loss to nationally ranked Oklahoma only strengthened Eck’s belief that other programs will eventually come calling.
“Nowinsky, I think, is the best defensive coordinator in the group of five,” Eck said after last weekend’s game at Oklahoma. “Head coaches are probably looking at him and want to hire him away because that was a great performance.”
Nowinsky earned CBS Sports coordinator of the week after his stellar performance against Oklahoma.
New Mexico’s 11 takeaways are the most in the nation through three games. Players and coaches emphasized the importance of forcing more takeaways prior to the season after believing there was meat left on the bone in that area last year.
Through three games, the defense has filled that desire quite quickly. With nine returning starters under Nowinsky for a second season, an improvement in buying the offense extra possessions seemed inevitable.
“I think that group has a great identity — a great love for each other,” Eck said of the defense. “I think that it was shown (when) all of (our) guys stayed. (Oklahoma’s media) saw on tape that we had some Power Four players on defense who didn’t leave. I think that’s a testament to the culture he’s built on that side of the ball. … They love playing together.”
UNM’s 201 yards allowed per game is tied with Penn State for fourth best in the FBS through three weeks. Many thought Oklahoma would score more than their eventual 14 points, including me. Even with the Sooners’ offense featuring NFL-level talent, New Mexico’s defense made Oklahoma sputter at times.
The effort and physicality was impossible to miss. The unit had an exceptional performance from the opening snap, with the exception of a handful of plays that went awry — just like on any defense on any given week.
The numbers back the eye test. New Mexico’s 25.9% havoc rate ranks fourth in the FBS, while its nine sacks and 23 tackles for loss rank tied for 19th and tied for 13th in the country, respectively. The Lobos are allowing just 9.3 points per game, good for eighth nationally, while sitting atop nearly every major defensive statistical category in the Mountain West.
Defense is New Mexico’s identity.
If the Lobos are going to reach their goals of a conference championship and double-digit wins, they’ll likely do it on the backs of the “Mutts” — the nickname Nowinsky has given his defense.
Spence Nowinsky has built a monster in Albuquerque. After turning New Mexico into one of the nation’s most improved defenses in 2025, the Lobos’ coordinator has leveled up again in 2026 - holding nationally ranked Oklahoma to just 14 points and anchoring an opportunistic unit that ranks fourth in the FBS in total defense (201 yards per game) and leads the country with 11 takeaways. Head coach Jason Eck calls him the best Group of Five defensive coordinator in America, and if the "Mutts" keep playing with this level of relentless physicality, Power Four programs won't be able to look away for long.